Toddlers are brilliant

I have spent the last two years reading and thinking about how babies and toddlers are capable of more than we give them credit for. We've seen this through being surprised by A's memory and her ability to get "unstuck" from places, navigate playground equipment, and climb into the car and up to her car seat.

 

But I will admit, A got me today. She totally floored me and I'm so happy I was watching (& present), that I didn't "fix it" for her, and that I captured the last bit on video.

So here is the back story. Today I put A's big blanket in her bed for the first time (we have been using thin Aden & Anais blankets since she was born). She was thrilled to see the elephants on her blanket that match the elephant decals on her wall. She was matching them and having a great time. We also put her coordinating stuffed elephant in there. Later this afternoon, she decided she wanted to get the elephant out. She tried to pull it through the slats (this works with one of her "babies" and her stuffed cow) but clearly it wouldn't work with this toy. I just sat in the chair, observing. She climbed on the outside of the crib (like the picture above from a few days ago) and tried to reach but she wasn't able to. I started itching to help but decided to see what she tried next, especially since she wasn't even asking for my assistance. She jumped off the crib, ran into the living room, began digging around in a box, and found the shoestrings that she had been playing with earlier (they go along with a "Lace and Trace Farm") and brought them into the bedroom where this happened.

Finally, she had me tie the string around the elephant and this occurred next. She played "fisher girl" for the next 10 minutes or so, clearly very proud of herself. So creative and I would have missed it all if I had just gotten the toy out for her!

Pop Pop, Daddy

Earlier this spring, A randomly started saying "pop pop daddy!" to Chad. We have no idea where it came from (her school is not affiliated with any gangs that we are aware of) but thought it was hysterical (okay so maybe Chad was a little disturbed and I thought it was hysterical). I definitely want to remember this as she gets older. So it seemed like an appropriate title for a post about Popsicles. Yes, I am so behind on blogging that I'm just attempting to string together some sort of theme in our pictures lately. 

Popsicles are fun though. I got a cute little mold (Zoku) and A loves them. 

For the first attempt, we made half with cran-grape juice and half with Apple juice and blueberries or raspberries. Super easy/basic. 

A definite hit!

A teeny tiny definite hit. 

The next attempt was a little fancier. I puréed pineapple chunks and then puréed frozen cherries (A is still afraid/terrified of the blender, awesome behavioral psychologist, eh? Hush. Exposure is hard). I was hoping for a cool swirling effect but it didn't work as well as I planned. 

These went over even better than the last ones. She was a big fan. 

This week we smushed up a banana and some blueberries and added Greek yogurt. I think this one will be a little too chunky but we will see. She loves the process and it's fun for me to watch her. I can't recall if I've mentioned on here but she wants to be involved with everything. "I heppin, momma!" So this is a good chance to fill that need. 

(She is safe. My hand was on her the whole time.)

The one downside to these molds is that the Popsicles are teeny. She always wants a second one. And the size also makes recipes a bit of a challenge. I have over or underestimated what we'd need every time. They are nice because they don't drip as much or make a big mess, though. They also would make adorable cake balls/pops. Maybe one day...

Kindness

I know I say this often--for me, one of the most important qualities I hope to instill in A is kindness. Obviously I want her to be happy, healthy, and safe, to be a hard worker, to have faith, and to be successful (in whatever way she defines success) and truly, I want her to be kind to others. I believe that she will be (and already is, in her own way).

One of the most important things that we can do to teach our children to be kind, is to model kindness toward others. In our speech and in our actions. This month, I have been given a wonderful opportunity to practice. Our friends, Sara and Jeremy (& Isaac!) have created a challenge in honor of their daughter, Samantha, who would have turned five years old this Tuesday.  

In honor of what would have been Samantha's 5th birthday, we would like to ask people to each perform 5 Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) during the coming month of August. And then we would like you to share your ARKs on this page. Some examples of ARKs are: taping quarters to a vending machine, buying coffee or a meal for a stranger, bringing treats to the fire station, paying past due library fees for someone at your local library, walking a dog at your local animal shelter, letting someone go in front of you in line at the grocery store...And the list goes on! We know we have very creative friends and family.  We look forward to seeing how Samantha's legacy continues to affect others!! 

They have generated cards that can be left for others to explain the act as well as spread awareness about SCID.  I've been thinking a lot the last few days about what acts of kindness I'd like for us to do. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment or send me an email. I'm not particularly creative so I would love to hear what our friends and family think (and I especially want a few things that A can participate in with me). If you're on Facebook, I'd encourage you to "like" the Samantha's ARK page. I've enjoyed reading the things that others have done and how this challenge is impacting people and spreading joy. 

A day at the zoo

For the last two years, every time Papaw has visited, we've talked about going to the zoo. However, it has been too hot or too cold, raining, or, like last time, A developed a fever and was sick the day we were supposed to go. So I was pretty hesitant to make any plans to go today but I am happy to say that we made it!